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"'''Hide and Seek'''" is a computer-assisted voice-only song written, produced, and performed by English singer Imogen Heap. The song was released in 2005 as the first single from her second album ''Speak for Yourself''. The single was certified gold by the RIAA on 3 April 2009. Itself influenced by Paul Lansky's "Her Song",<ref>{{cite journal|last=Roden|first=Al|date=May 2009|title=Now Tip Your Hat|journal=Q|publisher=Bauer Media Group}}</ref> the track was later sampled in Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say", a song receiving international success.<ref>{{cite tweet|first=Imogen|last=Heap|user=imogenheap|number=4482746482|date=30 September 2009|title=Jason Derulo had my permission @mannieefreeshh. Love or hate me for it – Hide and Seek has a life of {{sic|it's|nolink=y}} own. I love {{sic|it's|nolink=y}} madcap journey x|accessdate=18 January 2018}}</ref> As of 2009 the song has sold 647,000 copies in United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wBeEDJhw110C&pg=PA26|work=Billboard|title=Greatest Synchs|first= Mark|last=Sutherland|date=20 June 2009}}</ref>

==Heap's commentary==
In a 2005 interview, Heap stated that the song's lyrics were ultimately about having painfully lost someone and how others react to things that happen to someone else.<ref>{{cite web|author=barcodexl |url=http://www.barcodezine.com/Imogen%20Heap%20Interview.htm |title=Imogen Heap Interview |publisher=Barcodezine.com |accessdate=21 February 2012}} </ref>

==Composition==
The original version is performed with a keyboard-controlled digital harmonizer (similar to a [[Vocoder|vocoder]]) generating distorted harmonies of Heap's voice, lending the song its memorable altered a cappella sound.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://emusician.com:80/remixmag/artists_interviews/musicians/remix_imogen_heap/index.html|title=Imogen Heap|last=Powers|first=Genevieve|date=1 Jan 2006|website=Electronic Musician|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110914082247/http://emusician.com/remixmag/artists_interviews/musicians/remix_imogen_heap/index.html|archive-date=14 September 2011|access-date=4 January 2020}}</ref>

==Music video==
The music video for the song was directed by Joel Peissing, featuring Heap singing against a gently flashing white backdrop. The video is presented in a heavily [[Engineering:Pillarbox|pillarbox]]ed format.

==Covers, remakes, and samples==

Canadian guitarist Antoine Dufour recorded a solo guitar version of the song.  It is featured on his album ''Convergences''. British alternative rock band Fightstar covered the song as a B-Side to their single, "The English Way". This is performed mainly by lead singer Charlie Simpson on vocals and piano, and second vocalist Alex Westaway performing backing vocals. The Christian crunkcore band And Then There Were None has also covered the song.  Additionally, English rock/folk artists The Dunwells recorded a guitar-only version of the song with three-part harmony featuring vocalists Joseph Dunwell, his brother David Dunwell, and the band's drummer, Jonny Lamb singing counterpoint.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbNAJLC7r6s|title=The Dunwells – "Hide and Seek" – The Rock Boat XIV|last=Alexis Beniash|date=27 February 2014|via=YouTube}}</ref> It is featured on the band's 2012 EP ''Leaving of the Rose''. British band Amber Run also recorded a cover of the song in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlapKWfwv3A|title=Amber Run – Hide & Seek (Imogen Heap Cover)|last=Amber Run Official|date=17 December 2012|via=YouTube}}</ref>

Jason Derulo's 2009 single "Whatcha Say" prominently sampled Heap's song.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/5614/Jason%20Der%C3%BClo-Whatcha%20Say_Imogen%20Heap-Hide%20and%20Seek/ |title=Jason Derulo's Whatcha Say sample of Imogen Heap's Hide and Seek |publisher=WhoSampled |accessdate=20 May 2012}}</ref> The single topped the Billboard Hot 100.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/3750/top2fm.jpg |title=Billboard Hot 100 – Week of October 31, 20092}}</ref>

The song is covered by Tim Waurick with Jordan Litz on his first album, ''TimTracks'', released in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timtracks.com/albums.php|title=TimTracks – Albums|website=www.timtracks.com}}</ref>

Slushii did a cover of "Hide and Seek", saying there that he wanted to cover one of his favorite songs.<ref>{{Citation|last=Slushii|title=Imogen Heap – Hide And Seek (Slushii Cover)|date=13 February 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfJB0kfxo54}}</ref>

In 2017, musician Jacob Collier published his version of the song to [[Company:YouTube|YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7_1HUEvieE |title=Hide and Seek - Jacob Collier (Live from House) |accessdate=25 June 2020}}</ref>

On May 22, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, [[Biography:Tim Blais|Tim Blais]] published a cover/parody titled "Quarantine."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timblais.bandcamp.com/track/quarantine |title=Quarantine by A Capella Science |publisher=Bandcamp |accessdate=22 May 2020}}</ref>

==Other appearances in media==
The song gained popularity after being featured as background music at the climax of the season two finale of the American television series ''The O.C.'', later parodied in a 2007 ''Saturday Night Live'' digital short called ''The Shooting''. This later became a popular Internet meme, spawning many parody videos, with the music typically overlaid on dramatic scenes from television shows, video games, movies, and anime, mainly those involving a shocking or slow-motion death of a major character.

The song also appears in the films ''The Last Kiss'', ''The Town'', ''Warren Miller's Off the Grid'' and ''Three Steps Over Heaven''. It has also been featured in the series ''So You Think You Can Dance'', ''CSI: Miami'', ''Smith'', ''The L Word'', ''The Real World: Sydney'', ''Gossip Girl'', ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'', the German telenovela ''Anna und die Liebe'', ''Nirvanna the Band the Show'', the Norwegian television drama ''Skam'' and the Hulu mini-series ''Normal People''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jackson|last=McHenry|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/05/normal-people-soundtrack-13-key-songs.html|title=How Normal People Chose 13 Key Songs for Marianne and Connell|website=vulture.com|date=May 1, 2020|accessdate=May 19, 2020}}</ref>

==Track listings==

'''CD single'''
#"Hide And Seek (Radio Edit)" – 3:02
#"Hide And Seek (Album Version)" – 4:29

'''Vinyl'''
#"Hide And Seek" – 4:29
#"Cumulus" – 3:34

== Charts ==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (2005–2008)
! scope="col"| Peak<br> position
|-
! scope="row"| Canada Digital Songs (''Billboard'')<ref name="Can Digital">{{cite web|title=Imogen Heap Chart History (Canada Digital)|url=http://www.billboard.com/music/imogen-heap/chart-history/hot-canada-digital-song-sales|work=Billboard|accessdate=31 December 2017}}</ref>
| 57
|-
!scope="row"| Italy (FIMI)<ref>{{cite web|title=Imogen Heap – FIMI|url=http://www.fimi.it/ricerca#/type:artists/show:charts/keyword:Imogen%20Heap/page:0|publisher=Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|language=Italian|accessdate=22 August 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 8
|-
!scope="row"| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)<ref name="UK-chart">{{cite web|title=H & Claire – Hysterix|url=http://zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_H.HTM|publisher=The Official Charts Company|accessdate=31 December 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 125
|-
{{single chart|Billboarddigitalsongs|37|artist=Imogen Heap|rowheader=true|accessdate=31 December 2017|refname="Digital Songs"}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United States|digital=true|artist=Imogen Heap|title=Hide and Seek|award=Gold|number=|salesamount=500,000|salesref=|relyear=2005|certyear=2009|access-date=11 January 2016}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

==Mixes==
*Album version – 4:29
*Single version – 4:16
*Radio edit – 3:01
*Enmass remix – 8:01
*Afrojack remix – 4:41
*Tiësto's ''In Search of Sunrise remix'' – 8:32
*Morgan Page Bootleg Mix – 6:04
*Otto Knows Bootleg
*Ferry Corsten Bootleg

==Release history==
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Region
!Date
!Label
|-
|United States
|19 May 2005
|RCA Victor
|-
|United Kingdom
|26 September 2005
|Megaphonic
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Imogen Heap}}

[[Category:Internet memes]]

{{Sourceattribution|Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap song)}}